


Shall we dance

by Reyna_Ramirez_Arellano



Category: The Brittas Empire
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I Tried, My First AO3 Post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24825925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyna_Ramirez_Arellano/pseuds/Reyna_Ramirez_Arellano
Summary: A different end to 'Shall we dance'
Relationships: Gordon Brittas/Laura Lancing
Comments: 15
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SpacePenguin11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpacePenguin11/gifts).



> This is the first story I have written for the Archive. Please tell me if you like it in the comments ☺

The air was thick with anticipation. A layer of dull clouds hung over Whitbury like a blanket providing no protection from the dismal rain.  
Laura Lancing and Gordon Brittas sat in the manager's office of Whitbury Newtown Leisure centre.  
"So you sent him away?" Mr Brittas asked, pointing in the direction of the door from which Michael T Farrell III had left. Laura nodded slowly, looking at the ground to avoid any eye contact. "I'm sorry he came back, Laura. I didn't want you to have to go through this nonsense again,"

"It isn't your fault, Mr Brittas," Laura replied bluntly, her hands clasped, trembling slightly, in her lap. "It was going to happen anyway; Michael never listens". Gordon Brittas thought for a moment in silence, occasionally glancing over at his deputy manager to check that she was alright.

"Are you still coming to the staff gala tonight?" he queried, sitting down next to Laura on the navy blue sofa. 

"Yes, of course I am still coming. Why wouldn't I go?"

"I just thought that you might be upset," Mr Brittas told her. He looked up at her as he spoke. Her soft, brown hair hung down to her shoulders and her cool green eyes were somewhat sad.

"I'm fine," Laura lied, whilst she stifled a sob that built up in her throat. She fidgeted with her hands; a feeble attempt to draw her mind away from the fact that she knew that Michael would not be satisfied with her answer. He would undoubtedly come back again, interrupting what had the potential of being a nice day.<

Gordon Brittas looked at Laura with an expression that was unfamiliar to Laura - care. He placed a hand on her shoulder and was instantly rewarded with a small smile.

"You know Laura, I really am looking forward to this evening," Mr Brittas said."I don't want to sound disloyal, but Helen is never very good at these occasions,".

"I'm sure she tries, Mr Brittas!" Laura replied, remembering how her friend hated standing up in front of others, not to mention the fact that she always doubted her appearence. 

"I have no doubt that she tries, Laura. It's just that I would rather spend this evening with you," Mr Brittas admitted. He placed a comforting hand over Laura's where they sat on her lap. Laura smiled at the honest truth.

"I suppose I ought to go down to the gymnasium to coach the under 10s trampolining class, Mr Brittas," she answered, standing up and brushing down the front of her clothing. 

"I'll see you later," Gordon Brittas nodded and opened the door for Laura. 

Laura's lesson ran quite smoothly, despite the fact that only six children turned up. She enjoyed coaching the younger clients; they were very sweet and were always polite. Additionally, they always looked up to Laura, as though she was a sort of role model to them.

At the end of the lesson, one of the girls came over to Laura when she was packing away. Her name was Matilda. She was eight years old had bright blue eyes and frizzy blonde hair. 

"I made you this," she said timidly, peeping out from a curtain of hair. She placed in Laura's hand a pink and white friendship bracelet.

"Thank you, Matilda,"Laura replied, crouching down so that she was the same height as the little girl. "It's beautiful!". Matilda's face split into a huge grin and her eyes lit up like stars. 

"See you next week," she said, before scuttling away back to her mother. Laura waved goodbye to the rest of the children and packed away the rest of the equiptment.

At half past six, Laura headed to the staffroom to change into her outfit. It was nothing special; a simple black and red dress. She tied her hair in a bun and clasped it together with a silver clip. 

As she was looking in the mirror, the door to the ro opened.

"You look nice, Laura," Mr Brittas said, his eyes scanning over the paperwork that was clutched in his hands. The compliment did surprise Laura; she was used to Mr Brittas telling people that they ought to go on a diet, or join one of his weight-loss classes.

"Thank you. Is everything ready?" Laura replied, putting her bag back in her locker and shutting the door. 

"Everything has been taken care of, Laura. There's no need for you to be worried," Mr Brittas said.

Laura sighed and nodded. She hoped that the evening would be enjoyable, but got the feeling that someting was going to go wrong. Mr Brittas opened his mouth as if he were going to talk, but the door swung open and Colin came in. He had on his brown outfit and hat that looked as though they had been designed to be worn in some sort of cowboy film.

"What is it, Colin?" Mr Brittas asked impatiently, realising to himself how much he wanted to be alone with Laura, for this evening at least.

"I just wanted to ask you what time the guests need to arrive," the deputy wet said, so excited that he was almost hopping from foot to foot in some sort of strange dance.

"As I said earlier, Colin, the guests can arrive at 7,".

"Right you are, Mr Brittas. Oh, and I got a call from yoir wife saying that she won't be able to be here for this evening,".

"I know that Colin. Other arrangements have been made," Mr Brittas said, glancing at Laura as he spoke. The two smiled at each other and Laura laughed when Mr Brittas rolled his eyes at Colin's remark.

"Well called, Mr Brittas. I'd better be going! Pauline will be arriving soon and I must be there to greet her!" Colin told them, bubbling with energy.

"Good ridance," Mr Brittas muttered when Colin left. He glanced down at his watch and smoothed down the front of his suit. "Do you know who Colin is bringing?".

"Yes, I do. You can't tell him, Mr Brittas. He'd be so upset!" Laura replied, a smirk appearing on her lips.

"I suppose we ought to go through ourselves," Mr Brittas thought out loud, indicating to reception, where the party was being held. It was just past 7, so the guests would have just arrived and settled down a little. 

Mr Brittas held out his arm for Laura, who threaded it with her own. It felt right, holding each other. They both smiled and walked out into reception.

"I would like to thank you all for coming!" Mr Brittas said, looking around at his reception full of guests. "And I hope you have an enjoyable time," . Whilst he spoke, the eyes of many of the staff darted between Brittas and Laura. 

The crowd of guests dispersed across the large room, as people chatted happily and sipped their drinks and generally had a nice time. Mr Brittas and Laura drifted around the room, greeting the guests. 

Colin had brought Pauline the milk 'lady'; Linda had brought Edward, whom Mr Brittas took an immediate dislike to; Gavin and Tim hadn't actually brought anyone, but had come together as friends; Julie's boyfriend had already been arrested for stealing a car; and Carole was still waiting for her partner to arrive.

"Have you taken Brittas whilst Helen is away?" Julie asked Laura when they found themselves in a section of reception with nobody else in, a cruel smile on her face. 

"We're just going as friends, Julie," Laura replied, sighing to herself. Julie raised her eyebrows and scoffed. 

"You sure about that?" she teased.

"Trust me, Julie. We're just going as friends. There's nothing else about it!" Laura insisted, as she felt herself go into 'defense mode'. Julie laughed light- heartedly.

"Calm down, Laura!" she sneered. "No need to get so angry. I was only joking,".

Laura walked away from the situation as fast as she could so as not to endure any more teasing.

The rest of the evening was actually quite nice. Linda's Edward was a surprising nice person, despite his age. Pauline was decent, too, nut mainly hung around with Colin

What surprised Laura the most was the kindness of her manager; Gordon Brittas. He complimented Laura far more than he had ever done, and they spoke pleasantly with everyone around reception. At around 10, Laura felt their hands touch when they were talking. Instead of pulling away, like she expected him to, he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

The warmth and strength of his hand was comforting, and he found her's soft and kind. Gordon Brittas looked down at their hands, a small smile on his face. Laura smiled too when she saw.  
The two were saying goodbye to their guests at midnight, when the party was over. 

"That was a lovely evening, Mr Brittas," Laura said as he placed an arm over her shoulders.

"I enjoyed it as well. Should I drop you home, Miss Lancing?" Gordon Brittas replied.

"Yes, thank you Mr Br - Gordon," Laura replied, wondering to herself how long it would take her to get used to calling him Gordon. He smiled at her use of his first name and led her into the car park.

As she had expected, his car was clean from top to bottom and from left to right. There wasn't a spot of dirt anywhere to be seen, and she noticed a slight hint of flowers from the air freshner that hung from the rear view mirror.

They spoke a little throughout the journey; about the staff and their guests, a topic in which Mr Brittas was particularly upset about; the situation at the centre, for example the fact that the total count for the weekend visitors was 43; and the fact that Helen was in Cornwall and had apparently gone lobster-potting with a man called Garth. 

They reached Laura's house faster than expected.

"Thank you, Gordon," Laura said, reaching into the back to get her bag. When she looked up, Mr Brittas was gazing, almost staring, at her.  
Then, for some reason, he reached for her face and kissed her. It was all so wrong. He was married and had children, and yet..! For some reason, possibly the same reason that Gordon had felt, Laura didn't move away. Instead, she kissed him back.Then her brain began to function again and she did pull away.

"What about Helen?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"Exactly, Laura. What about Helen?" Gordon replied, kissing her again. Every part of Laura's brain screamed for her to stop, but she felt his arms around her and all reality seemed lost.She kissed him and felt her lips tingle from the touch.  
Whatever else he may be, Gordon Brittas was her friend. And for some reason, he loved her. But that was ok, because she loved him too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A different ending to 'Changes Trains'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Changes Trains comes before Shall We Dance, but I only thought of the other chapter first. In this story, the reason Laura is at the meal is that Helen is away in Cornwall.

"Is that the time?" Laura exclaimed, staring at the clock in disbelief. To her horror and surprise, it was half past midnight. As far as she had been concerned, however, Gordon Brittas was still under the effects of the hypnotist. 

"Goodness! It's half past twelve!" Mr Brittas said with equal shock. He looked up at Laura with a look of question on his face. "Should I take you home?". 

"Erm..yes. Thank you, Mr Brittas," she stammered, pulling on her coat.   
Mr Brittas stood up, passing Laura her bag, and led her oit of the restaurant.

As they came into the open, a sharp wind hit them and Laura shivered.

"Are you cold?" Mr Brittas asked, his voice full of concern.

"A little, but it's ok. My house is only a short walk from here," Laura replied, pulling her coat further around her.

"Nonsense, Laura!" Mr Brittas said, putting an arm around her to stop her from being cold. "You can come back to my home!". 

Laura was admittedly surprised by his offer, but decided to take him up on it due to the sudden shower of rain that attacked them. After all, the house of her manager was closer to the restaurant than her own.  
Mr Brittas led the way to his house, his arm around Laura the whole time. He fumbled with the key in the lock, primarily due to the fact that his hands were shaking from the cold. 

They bundled inside Gordon Brittas's house and sat down on the sofa together. 

"What a storm!" Mr Brittas said, taking off his sodden wet coat and hanging it up. He did the same with Laura's before joining her on the sofa again.  
"Can I get you a drink?".

"Tea, please," Laura replied. The manager fetched the two of them drinks and blankets.

Laura took the mig thankfully and sipped the warm, creamy liquid. 

"I'll go when the rain stops," Laura told him, not wanting to be an inconvenience.

"Not if you don't want to, Laura. With Helen away, I see no reason for you not to stay here,". Laura froze, not knowing what to think.

True, it seemed like the man in question was still under the effects of the hypnotist, and she admitted to herself that she liked -very mich liked- this kind, thoughtful Brittas. But she was also afraid that he would chanhe half way through the night. There was a sort of conflict in her mind: she did love him, in a way, but was worried that she only liked this new version of him.

"If that's ok, Mr Brittas, I'll stay," she decided, settling down into the blanket.

"Please, call me Gordon," the manager answered, a smile on his face. 

Carefully, he put an arm around his deputy and pulled her closer to him, almost like they were in an embrace. 

His thoughts were strained. Goodness, he loved Laura more than anything in the world and would do anything to please her. He prayed to whatever there was to pray to that she loved him to.

To his delight, Laura did not objext to their closeness, nor move away. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed quietly.

Everything seemed to be going so well. It was just then that Gordon Brittas took the recpiet out of his pocket.

"That much for two drinks?" he exclaimed. Laura panicked for a second. The hypnotism must have worn off. 

What would he think of her and her, their position? She dreaded his reaction, fearing that he would draw away. 

Instead, she felt him run his fingers through her her. She wasn't even sure if he was aware that he was doing it; he had a faraway expression on his face and was staring into space.

"Is everything ok?" she asked timidly, tucking her legs up on the sofa next to her.

"Yes...yes, fine," Mr Brittas replied dreamily. There was a moment of pure silence. "Laura?".

"Yes?" Laura answered.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I may be leaving shortly; they offered me the job.I don't to leave you without you knowing the truth,". 

"What is it?".

Mr Brittas fidjeted uncomfortably with his hands begore answering. "Laura Lancing, I think I am in love with you," he said. 

Laura froze. Her heart skipped a beat. Then another seven or eight.

"Mr Brittas, I don't know what to-"she began.

"It's ok, Laura. I know that you don't think the same but I thoughtyou deserved to know,".

"No, that's not what I meant!" Laura objected, looking up at Gordon Brittas. "I just, well, I don't know what I can say. I think I'm in love with you too,". 

Neither of them spoke, they just held each other.

Then, he bent down slightly and kissed her. Just once. Just for a second. The kiss spoke a thousand words between them. A tear fell down Gordon's cheek. 

Laura wiped it away gently.  
"Don't cry," she soothed. "I'm here. It's ok,". Mr Brittas smiled.

"I love you Laura,"  
"I love you too,"  
He laced his fingers with hers and kissed her again. 

That night, as he lay next to Laura, Gordon Brittas looked up at the star-filled sky and smiled. He knew, just there, in her arm with his arms around her, that everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you liked it 😀

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any ideas for other stories, do tell me in the comments. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't tear my work apart :)


End file.
